“Harriet? What do you think?” Daphne inquired.
“I agree with both of you. Miss Rex is an excellent choice.”
“Thank you,” the girl said. “I shall begin unpacking your trunks.”
The young girl was of average height with mousy brown hair. Nothing extraordinary, but Harriet knew they were close enough in age it would be easy for the two of them adjust to each other. The fact that she’d grown up in her parents’ household meant she was more attuned to how things worked and knew what was expected of her without being reminded.
*
An unfamiliar soundawoke Harriet with a start. As she sat up, she noticed Miss Rex opening the heavy drapes. It was then she realized she must have slept since yesterday. Carefully climbing off the bed, she saw a tray which must have been sent last evening. Harriet concluded she must have been a lot more tired than she first realized. Then again, she wasn’t under her mother’s thumb, and her body must have sensed the calm.
“Good morning, Lady Harriet,” Miss Rex said as she finished opening the draperies on the last window.
“Good morning. I must have been more tired than I thought,” Harriet replied.
“You must have. You didn’t touch your dinner tray.”
“I’m going to take a bath and dress. Then I’m going to have breakfast.”
Miss Rex nodded. “I’ll start your bath.”
Harriet didn’t take as long as she normally would. Her mother insisted ladies took their time when it came to dressing. Today was an exception. She slept through the evening and night and missed greeting her cousin, Arthur. Hopefully, her cousin would be having breakfast when she arrived.
Taking one last look in the mirror, she nodded her head in approval. Miss Rex was certainly going to be a wonderful personal maid. First time dressing her, and her hair and she looked far softer than the way her mother preferred her hair done. There was something to be said about yesterday’s events.
She easily found the breakfast room with directions from the maid and a footman she met at the bottom of the stairs. Approaching the closed oak doors, Harriet smoothed the skirts of the plum day dress she’d chosen and nodded to the footman. He opened the door, and she walked past him and into the small dining room.
The first thing she noticed was her cousin, Arthur, seated at the end of the table. Lowering her eyes to the ground, she walked farther into the room. It had been several years since she’d seen her cousin and she had never forgotten what a handsome man he was.
“Harriet, good morning,” his baritone voice boomed. He immediately stood and came to her side. One large hand gripped her elbow and began leading her to the table. “Sit here. You must be quite hungry. Either choose what you’d like off the sideboard or tell a footman, and he’ll bring it to you.”
“Thank you, cousin. What do you suggest?” She watched him through lowered lashes as he retook his spot at the table.
“I highly recommend the coddled eggs this morning,” he said.
Harriet lifted her head and told a footman standing nearby what she wanted. Besides the coddled eggs, she chose sausage, toast, fruit, and tea. Her mother would never have allowed that, but she wasn’t here and Harriet could make her own decisions.
“Have you settled in?” Arthur inquired.
“Yes, I suppose I have. I fell asleep and slept through the night so I would consider that settled in.”
He nodded, picking up a newspaper from a stack to his left. “Just know that you’re more than welcome here and should you need anything, just let Daphne or me know.”
“I will.” The footman brought her plate right then and she turned her attention to it, rather than Arthur. If she had been looking, she would have noticed the lopsided grin on his face.
The room went quiet as Arthur began reading one of his newspapers and Harriet started eating. She heard the door behind her open, and the soft sound of a woman’s foot walking in caused her to pause.
“Good morning, Harriet,” Daphne said. She was standing at Arthur’s side and walked around him and sat across the table from Harriet. Quietly she gave her selections to a footman. “Do try the scones. They are the best I’ve ever tasted.”
She stared at the plate the footman put down in front of her. She shouldn’t, but it’d been ages since she’d had a scone. “I really shouldn’t.”
“You’ll hurt Cook’s feelings. Besides, you’re making your own choices now,” Daphne said.
Arthur folded his newspaper and put it to the side and pushed back from the table. “If you ladies will excuse me. I need to be in Parliament for a vote. I’ll see you both this evening.”
“That sounds exciting. I wish I could visit there and see how Parliament works,” Harriet said.
“I’ll be sure to take you if you’re truly interested,” Arthur said.
